Other Research & Reports

Market-Driven Growth Scenario (RCLCO)

The Wasatch Front continues to grow rapidly, yet the supply of undeveloped land is rapidly diminishing close to downtown Salt Lake City. Where will the growth go? What mix of housing types will it include? This study, conducted by national real estate advisory firm RCLCO, presents a market-based scenario for where growth might occur in Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Utah County, and in what forms.

2014 Utah Values Study (Heart & Mind Strategies)

What are the values and priorities of Utahns? Envision Utah has just completed its 2014 values study, which quantitatively identifies Utahn's values and priorities, and how Utahns feel about the various issues facing the state as it looks to almost double in population by 2050. The study identifies how Utahns prioritize issues, how they rate the state's performance on those issues, how they feel about growth, and what attributes of the quality of life are most important to Utahns and why.

Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper

"Prepared as part of the Brookings Institution's Blueprint for American Prosperity initiative, 'Mountain Megas: America's Newest Metropolitan Places and a Federal Partnership to Help Them Prosper' describes and assesses the new supersized reality of the Intermountain West and proposes a more helpful role for the federal government in empowering regional leaders' efforts to build a uniquely Western brand of prosperity that is at once more sustainable, productive, and inclusive than past eras of boom and bust" (Brookings Institute).

Arthur C. Nelson, Ph.D., FAICP

Dr. Arthur C. Nelson, FAICP, is Presidential Professor of City & Metropolitan Planning at the University of Utah where he is also Director of the Metropolitan Research Center.

For the past thirty years, Dr. Nelson has conducted pioneering research in growth management, urban containment, public facility finance, economic development, and metropolitan development patterns. He has written nearly nearly 20 books and more than 300 other works.

Research, Wirthlin Worldwide (1997)

Envision Utah commissioned a nationally recognized polling firm, Wirthlin Worldwide, to conduct and in-depth study and a broad survey of area residents. Wirthlin used a specialized research method to determine Utahns' values and to find out what they most want to preserve or change in the face of Utah's rapid growth. The study proved to be very beneficial in determining the best course of action for the Envision Utah. Findings validated Envision Utah's initial principles stating the importance of involving the community throughout the process of determining a course for Utah's future.

A Review Of The Fiscal and Competitive Advantages of Smarter Growth Development Patterns

Abstract: "This paper makes the case that more compact development patterns and investing in projects to improve urban cores would save taxpayers' money and improve regions' overall economic performance. To that end, it relies on a review of the best academic empirical literature to weigh the extent to which a new way of thinking about growth and development can benefit governments, businesses, and regions during these fiscally stressed times." - The Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy

How Transit Benefits People Who Do Not Ride It

Comprehensive Benefits of Rail Transit

Abstract: "This study evaluates rail transit benefits based on a comprehensive analysis of transportation system performance in major U.S. cities. It finds that cities with large, wellestablished rail systems have significantly higher per capita transit ridership, lower average per capita vehicle ownership and annual mileage, less traffic congestion, lower traffic death rates, lower consumer expenditures on transportation, and higher transit service cost recovery than otherwise comparable cities with less or no rail transit service. This indicates that rail transit systems provide economic, social and environmental benefits, and these benefits tend to increase as a system expands and matures. This report discusses best practices for evaluating transit benefits. It examines criticisms of rail transit investments, finding that many are based on inaccurate analysis." - Victoria Transport Policy Institute